It took me many attemts to get a successfully rooting cutting from a
hibiscus shrub. Then when I finally succeeded, it got attacked by what I
guess was spider mites. I could see a load of minute dead white bus on the
undesides of the leaves and a few cobweb-like starnds too. The leaves all
sort of dried up, and the plant seems to have given up the ghost, despite
having grown decent roots. How does this happen? Can I revive the baby
shrub?

TIA

Al

On 11/08/2011 22:11, AL_n wrote:
It took me many attemts to get a successfully rooting cutting from a
hibiscus shrub. Then when I finally succeeded, it got attacked by what I
guess was spider mites. I could see a load of minute dead white bus on the
undesides of the leaves and a few cobweb-like starnds too. The leaves all
sort of dried up, and the plant seems to have given up the ghost, despite
having grown decent roots. How does this happen? Can I revive the baby
shrub?

Real red spider mite are very pale yellow and need a magnifying glass to
see them. You generally can only see the webs they spin and a bunch of
tiny dots moving about.

Red spider mite doesn't usually kill otherwise healthy plants. Spray or
use a systemic insecticide that is specific against red spider mite.
Provado seems to be still reasonably effective.

http://www.bayergarden.co.uk/product...&categoryid=13

Putting it outdoors might be enough for most things to recover. I have
only ever had serious bother with rsm under glass and only really
because it can scar the growing points of cacti and succulents.

Regards,
Martin Brown

Regards,
Martin Brown

On 11 Aug 2011 21:11:33 GMT, "AL_n" wrote:

It took me many attemts to get a successfully rooting cutting from a
hibiscus shrub. Then when I finally succeeded, it got attacked by what I
guess was spider mites. I could see a load of minute dead white bus on the
undesides of the leaves and a few cobweb-like starnds too. The leaves all
sort of dried up, and the plant seems to have given up the ghost, despite
having grown decent roots. How does this happen? Can I revive the baby
shrub?

I just discovered red spider mites on my tender morning glory which I
had brought indoors because the wind was battering it.
Been away for a few days and noticed all the leaves looking mottled.
Tried to see them with a x10 magnifier but my eyes aren't good enough.
Got a friend to look and he saw the webbing as well, so it's outside
again and has been rained on and may get a spray of some sort. They
are devils, hard to get rid of, and it's a mystery where they come
from. I've had no rsm for several years and have very few houseplants
these days.
They say that spraying with water helps as the rsm (not regimental
sergeant major!) thrive in dry conditions.

Pam in Bristol

On 11/08/2011 22:38, Pam Moore wrote:
On 11 Aug 2011 21:11:33 GMT, wrote:

It took me many attemts to get a successfully rooting cutting from a
hibiscus shrub. Then when I finally succeeded, it got attacked by what I
guess was spider mites. I could see a load of minute dead white bus on the
undesides of the leaves and a few cobweb-like starnds too. The leaves all
sort of dried up, and the plant seems to have given up the ghost, despite
having grown decent roots. How does this happen? Can I revive the baby
shrub?

I just discovered red spider mites on my tender morning glory which I
had brought indoors because the wind was battering it.
Been away for a few days and noticed all the leaves looking mottled.
Tried to see them with a x10 magnifier but my eyes aren't good enough.
Got a friend to look and he saw the webbing as well, so it's outside
again and has been rained on and may get a spray of some sort. They
are devils, hard to get rid of, and it's a mystery where they come
from. I've had no rsm for several years and have very few houseplants
these days.
They say that spraying with water helps as the rsm (not regimental
sergeant major!) thrive in dry conditions.

Spray or water with a systemic insecticide. Provado seems effective and
can be used either way (or both ways). Alternate with some other contact
insecticide you don't want to encourage them to gain immunity.

You have to make it very humid and steamy before rsm get discouraged.
I have never had a serious problem with rsm outside in the UK.

There is a predator mite for biological control though I have never had
any luck with it.

I do have some obscure mite that only target my snowdrops in spring, but
they just make the leaves go a bit silver. I asked for an ID once and
was told that it was only possible by electron microscopy of the mouth
parts. I leave them alone as the bulbs don't seem to suffer.

Regards,
Martin Brown

On Aug 12, 10:07*am, Martin Brown
wrote:
On 11/08/2011 22:38, Pam Moore wrote:





On 11 Aug 2011 21:11:33 GMT, *wrote:

It took me many attemts to get a successfully rooting cutting from a
hibiscus shrub. Then when I finally succeeded, it got attacked by what I
guess was spider mites. I could see a load of minute dead white bus on the
undesides of the leaves and a few cobweb-like starnds too. The leaves all
sort of dried up, and the plant seems to have given up the ghost, despite
having grown decent roots. How does this happen? Can I revive the baby
shrub?

I just discovered red spider mites on my tender morning glory which I
had brought indoors because the wind was battering it.
Been away for a few days and noticed all the leaves looking mottled.
Tried to see them with a x10 magnifier but my eyes aren't good enough.
Got a friend to look and he saw the webbing as well, so it's outside
again and has been rained on and may get a spray of some sort. *They
are *devils, hard to get rid of, and it's a mystery where they come
from. *I've had no rsm for several years and have very few houseplants
these days.
They say that spraying with water helps as the rsm (not regimental
sergeant major!) thrive in dry conditions.

Spray or water with a systemic insecticide. Provado seems effective and
can be used either way (or both ways). Alternate with some other contact
insecticide you don't want to encourage them to gain immunity.

You have to make it very humid and steamy before rsm get discouraged.
I have never had a serious problem with rsm outside in the UK.

There is a predator mite for biological control though I have never had
any luck with it.

I do have some obscure mite that only target my snowdrops in spring, but
they just make the leaves go a bit silver. I asked for an ID once and
was told that it was only possible by electron microscopy of the mouth
parts. I leave them alone as the bulbs don't seem to suffer.

Regards,
Martin Brown- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

The trick with Phytoseilius is to monitor the spider mite population
closely and to introduce a proportionate number of predators
(Phytoseilius). If you put too many in they eat the rsm and then start
on one another. Too few and you fail to get effective control. The
'dead white bugs' the o/p saw were most likely the cast skins of
moulting aphids so a heavy infestation of rsm and aphids is suggested
as the culprits. As you advised - outside and treat with something
like Provado is likely to be the best approach at this late stage.

Rod

On Aug 11, 10:11*pm, "AL_n" wrote:
It took me many attemts to get a successfully rooting cutting from a
hibiscus shrub. Then when I finally succeeded, it got attacked by what I
guess was spider mites. I could see a load of minute dead white bus on the
undesides of the leaves and a few cobweb-like starnds too. The leaves all
sort of dried up, and the plant seems to have given up the ghost, despite
having grown decent roots. How does this happen? Can I revive the baby
shrub?

TIA

Al

As you observed they just suck them dry. See my reply further down.

Rod

I've come to the conclusion that it hasn't got warm enough for it in Northern England for the last 4 years. In the last summer (2006) it worked well for me.

On 11/08/2011 22:11, AL_n wrote:
It took me many attemts to get a successfully rooting cutting from a
hibiscus shrub. Then when I finally succeeded, it got attacked by what I
guess was spider mites. I could see a load of minute dead white bus on the
undesides of the leaves and a few cobweb-like starnds too. The leaves all
sort of dried up, and the plant seems to have given up the ghost, despite
having grown decent roots. How does this happen? Can I revive the baby
shrub?

TIA

Al


Have followed this thread and agree with replies. However, no-one has
covered the fact that any rsm that has recently sucked dry a virused
plant can transmit that virus to the new plant. In most cases, there is
no treatment and the plant(s) must be destroyed. This is also true of
aphids and other sap-sucking or plant-chewing insects. It doesn't sound
as if this was the case with the OP's plant, but it's another thing to
watch out for.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

On Aug 12, 10:34*pm, Spider wrote:
On 11/08/2011 22:11, AL_n wrote:

It took me many attemts to get a successfully rooting cutting from a
hibiscus shrub. Then when I finally succeeded, it got attacked by what I
guess was spider mites. I could see a load of minute dead white bus on the
undesides of the leaves and a few cobweb-like starnds too. The leaves all
sort of dried up, and the plant seems to have given up the ghost, despite
having grown decent roots. How does this happen? Can I revive the baby
shrub?

TIA

Al

Have followed this thread and agree with replies. *However, no-one has
covered the fact that any rsm that has recently sucked dry a virused
plant can transmit that virus to the new plant. *In most cases, there is
no treatment and the plant(s) must be destroyed. *This is also true of
aphids and other sap-sucking or plant-chewing insects. *It doesn't sound
as if this was the case with the OP's plant, but it's another thing to
watch out for.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

Good point. In fact viruses spread by sucking pests are often a
greater danger than the sucking itself. In commercial stocks there are
often widespread and expensive consequences.

Rod

Spider wrote in
:


Have followed this thread and agree with replies. However, no-one has
covered the fact that any rsm that has recently sucked dry a virused
plant can transmit that virus to the new plant. In most cases, there
is no treatment and the plant(s) must be destroyed. This is also true
of aphids and other sap-sucking or plant-chewing insects. It doesn't
sound as if this was the case with the OP's plant, but it's another
thing to watch out for.


I thank you all for the input. Can anyone explain how the plant is actually
killed? I was hoping that once I had killed the pests, that new leaves
would start to grow, but the plant shows absolyutely no sign of life. How
come? Maybe it was infected with a killer virus by the pest?

I have another propagated cutting of the same hibiscus sitting on the smae
window sill. That was also attacked by the bug, but not so heavily. It is
doing fine now, since I sprayed it with a horticultural bug spray.

Al

In article ,
Kay wrote:
On 19/08/2011 10:57, in article , "AL_n"
wrote:

I thank you all for the input. Can anyone explain how the plant is actually
killed? I was hoping that once I had killed the pests, that new leaves
would start to grow, but the plant shows absolyutely no sign of life.

The pests feed on the sap of the plant. If the infestation is really heavy,
the part of the plant that they are on will dry out (just as if it had had
no water) and die. Once the growing tip of a branch has dried out, then the
branch itself may well die, and so on until the whole plant has died.

Actually, I think that they suck the sap out of the cells, so those
cells will die. That is why the leaves go white and don't recover
even if you kill the RSM.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 19/08/2011 10:57, in article , "AL_n"
wrote:


I thank you all for the input. Can anyone explain how the plant is actually
killed? I was hoping that once I had killed the pests, that new leaves
would start to grow, but the plant shows absolyutely no sign of life.

Al

The pests feed on the sap of the plant. If the infestation is really heavy,
the part of the plant that they are on will dry out (just as if it had had
no water) and die. Once the growing tip of a branch has dried out, then the
branch itself may well die, and so on until the whole plant has died.

The effect of the red spider is therefore much the same as not watering the
plants for several weeks on end - if the "drought" isn't too sever, then you
can water the plant and it will grow new leaves, like your second plant, but
if the "drought" has gone on too long, the plant has died and nothing you do
will revive it.

It does take a pretty heavy rsm infestation to kill a plant. The good side
is, now you know what they look like, you're in a better position to
recognise an infestation early on.

In article ,
AL_n wrote:

Actually, I think that they suck the sap out of the cells, so those
cells will die. That is why the leaves go white and don't recover
even if you kill the RSM.

Onsce the pnat ppears totally dead, is there a best-chance remedy left to
try, such as cutting the branches off ain the hope that a new shoot might
appear? Presumably the roots are unaffected?

Generally, just spray the hell out of it with soft soap or detergent
and meths, keep it damp and warm, and see what happens. Some plants
sprout from low down (even the roots), but others sprout better from
younger wood. And some won't regrow at all. Cut the dead stuff off
after it has started to regrow.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

wrote in :

Actually, I think that they suck the sap out of the cells, so those
cells will die. That is why the leaves go white and don't recover
even if you kill the RSM.

Onsce the pnat ppears totally dead, is there a best-chance remedy left to
try, such as cutting the branches off ain the hope that a new shoot might
appear? Presumably the roots are unaffected?

Al

On 20/08/2011 12:59, AL_n wrote:
wrote in :

Actually, I think that they suck the sap out of the cells, so those
cells will die. That is why the leaves go white and don't recover
even if you kill the RSM.

Onsce the pnat ppears totally dead, is there a best-chance remedy left to
try, such as cutting the branches off ain the hope that a new shoot might
appear? Presumably the roots are unaffected?


The only chemical remedy for red spider mite worth using is Westland
Plant Rescue ready-to-use spray, which contains thiamethoxam and
abamectin. It is the latter which is active against RSM. Do not bother
with any other chemicals available to the amateur which claim to be
active, and do not be mislead into buying Plant Rescue concentrate as
this contains only thiamethoxam.

In my experience, it is best to use this spray at the first sign of any
RSM infection - usually a few small web strands. Check the underside of
the leaves for RSM.

If heavily infested, remove all leaves (if this is feasible) and spray
what's left. Drastic, but it may save the plant.

--

Jeff